depth perception

Definition: Perception of absolute or relative distance of object from viewer. Most acute with binocular vision or stereopsis. * Also possible with monocular vision, aided by information -- which also contribute to depth perception in binocular vision -- such as (a) overlapping i.e. nearby objects overlap things farther away (b) relative size e.g. lamp-posts of same size get smaller with distance (c) linear perspective e.g. converging parallels of walls, roads (d) relative position e.g. further objects tend to be high in horizon (e) progressive loss of detail e.g. textures smooth out as object recedes (f) aerial perspective e.g. effect of haze increases with distance (g) relative position of shadows (h) contrast e.g. contrast decreases with distance and (h) parallax.

Related Terms: aerial perspective

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